Volume 1 Chapter 116 Sister, Cousin

  Xu Wantong pretended not to hear, her face red as she followed the leading maid servant, thinking that her actions had also been seen by the other maid servants, and feeling even more annoyed in her heart.

  Sit down and have a meal for now.

  Yao Cun's daily meal was six dishes and one soup, and when Xie Fu was prosperous, two more dishes were added. Today at noon, Mrs. Xie specially asked someone to send over four more dishes, saying they were for Miss Biao and Miss Qinqing to add to their meal, making a total of twelve dishes and one soup.

  Xu Wantong saw that two of the four dishes sent by Mrs. Xie were her favorites, and the other two were Nanjing local specialties, she felt a little proud in her heart, thinking that her aunt was biased towards herself. Yao Cunhui is a northerner, but her aunt did not deliberately cater to her northern taste, instead catering to her own!

  Thinking so, her mood relaxed a bit, and she couldn't help but glance at Yao Cunhui.

  Yao Cunhui didn't take it to heart, having traveled extensively and tried all sorts of dishes. Although not particular about flavors, she was more interested in trying new and fresh dishes. Xu Wantong's pride was misplaced.

  At the dinner table, Xie Fu Yun was taking care of Yao Cun Jia as usual, serving her soup and dishes with practiced ease, as if he had been doing it since birth. Yao Cun Jia accepted his service without hesitation. Yao Cun Hui occasionally smiled and told her sister to eat this or that, saying how good it was for her body. Xie Fu Yun also chimed in, while Xie Wen Zhu felt a lump in her chest, as if she were an eyesore. Even though Yao Cun Jia and her husband, as well as Yao Cun Hui, occasionally smiled and greeted her, she still felt like she didn't belong. The meal was tasteless, like chewing wax, and she soon felt full without eating much.

  "Wan'er's sister is eating so little, doesn't she like the taste?" Yao Cun Jia asked with concern.

  Yao Cunhui couldn't help but tease her with a sentence, and also laughed: "Won't you? I think brother-in-law didn't say it's not to your taste either!"

  Xu Wanting secretly hated it and forced a smile: "I... just ate two more pastries earlier, now I'm not hungry!"

  Yao Cunhui smiled and said: "But this is not like brother-in-law, I think brother-in-law rarely uses his mind!"

  Xu Wantong suddenly became annoyed and ashamed, while Yao Cunhui rolled her eyes. Xing'er couldn't help but purse her lips and smile secretly.

  Xie Fu Yun heard this and didn't notice Yao Cun Hui's glare, scolding: "Hui'er is being absurd! Wan'er is my cousin, not my daughter, can she really be compared to me? She has no restraint in her words!"

  Yao Cunhui stuck out her tongue and continued eating with her head down, while Xu Wantong was so angry that she almost cried.

  After finishing dinner, Xie Fu Yun went to the study saying he had something to do. Yao Cun Hui supported her sister in the corridor taking a stroll to digest and admire the flowers. Xu Wan Zhu originally wanted to bid farewell and return to Madam Xie's side but felt reluctant, so she also followed behind Yao Cun Jia chatting idly.

  Xu Wantong deliberately wanted to show off her close relationship with Xie Fu Yun, and she kept changing the subject to talk about him, saying what he liked or disliked, even going so far as to say how many years ago he took her fishing on a lake while facing a tank of goldfish.

  Yao Cun Jia just smiled and listened, not feeling the slightest bit displeased. On the other hand, Xu Wan Zhu was secretly puzzled, having a feeling of hitting empty air. Then she couldn't help but feel pleased: So it seems that she doesn't care about her older cousin at all? In other words, she doesn't love her older cousin? That's even better! Once she gets married, she won't compete with herself either! Or maybe she's just pretending to be magnanimous? That's fine too, let her be magnanimous for now!

  Yao Cunhui was furious, her heart racing with anger. She thought to herself, "No wonder my sister had a fight with her husband this morning. Anyone would be angry if they encountered such an shameless person! Fortunately, my sister has calmed down now. Otherwise, not to mention being a peaceful wife, just this conversation alone would have made her even angrier!"

  Suddenly, she saw a red-beaked green parrot hanging under the eaves of the corridor. Xu Wanting's eyes lit up and she ran forward to tease the parrot with a small twig, saying "This parrot is really beautiful! In the past, my elder brother also gave me one, but unfortunately it flew away because the cage wasn't closed properly! I was heartbroken for a long time! My elder brother even comforted me by promising to give me another one!"

  Saying that, he let out a sigh with a tone of nostalgia and admiration, gazing at the parrot with a distant look.

  Yao Cun Jia could no longer bear her endless provocations. If it weren't for his sister being present, and if it weren't for his husband's previous words, she would have probably lost control of her temper again. Hearing these words was especially infuriating, so he smiled and said: "If cousin likes it, giving it to you is no big deal!"

  "Really? How can that be good! This is what Brother-in-law gave to Sister-in-law, if Brother-in-law finds out won't he be unhappy?" Xǔ Yuèzhú's eyes lit up, obviously very willing, but humbly said.

  Yao Cunhui said with feigned surprise, "Sister, why are you still keeping this parrot? Didn't the doctor say that when you're pregnant, it's best not to have these furry animals like cats, dogs, and birds in the house? I remember your husband saying he was going to get rid of this parrot!"

  Yao Cun Jia was taken aback, and smiled: "After all, it's a life, can't you spare it? Usually, Liu Li takes it far away to raise it, only at noon does she hang it under the corridor for me to take a look, listen to her say a few words to relieve boredom, it's actually quite interesting! Your brother-in-law doesn't know."

  "Brother-in-law will not let you off!" Yao Cunhui said with a smile to Xu Wanting: "Since sister Wan likes it so much, giving it to her is just right, and she has also raised parrots before, so sister can rest assured! If sister finds it boring to look at the fish, they are still the same, these fish were also brought from Northeast by brother-in-law's friend, looking at them is also pleasing to the eye, it's brother-in-law's thoughtful intention!"

  "No need! Let's just keep it ourselves!" Xu Wanting's face turned green after hearing this, was she supposed to accept something that others didn't want? Was she a trash collector?!

  "It doesn't matter, Wanyu sister-in-law, you are my brother-in-law's cousin, and he said that you two have been very close since childhood, with a relationship as good as siblings. If you like it, take it away, my brother-in-law won't say anything!" Yao Cunhui continued to offer warmly.

  "It's really not needed! Leave it for sister-in-law to have some fun!" Xǔ Yuànzhú's face almost couldn't hold back.

  "That's it, then!" Yao Cunhui sighed lightly and turned to instruct Liu Li to take the parrot away, saying that from now on, it was not allowed to be brought in front of the old lady again. Liu Li obediently stepped forward to respond.

  "I have to go accompany my aunt now, sister-in-law and cousin, goodbye." Xu Wanting didn't want to stay for another moment, her mind was filled with the three words "close siblings", she kept telling herself that this wasn't what her brother said, it definitely wasn't what her brother said, but these three words were still so piercing!

  Of course, she told herself that she wasn't leaving because she didn't want to hear Yao Cunhui say these things, but because her brother wasn't here, what was the point of staying? To bat her eyelashes at a blind man?

  "Take your time, cousin, feel free to come over and sit down whenever you're idle!" Yao Cun Jia smiled and ordered someone to escort her out.

  "Sister, let me help you back to the house to rest!" Yao Cunhui smiled. She glanced at Xu Wanting's departing back and felt very disdainful in her heart: Are you the only one who can say such annoying words? Saying this kind of thing is really meaningless! But with this kind of meaningless person, it's true that you can only say this kind of thing!

  Yao Cunhui's sister had just entered the house when Xie Fu Yun also came in, smiling and calling out "Jia Er, second sister!"

  Yao Cunhui couldn't help but purse her lips and smile, it seemed that her brother-in-law really didn't have any interest in that cousin of hers! Just as Yao Cunhui was about to let her sister rest and smilingly bid farewell, Yao Cunjia suddenly grabbed her hand and laughed: "Sister isn't sleepy at all, if Hui'er isn't sleepy either then stay and chat for a bit!"

  If it were in the past, Yao Cun Jia would have taken a rest after dinner and gone for a walk. But today, because of Xu Wanzhu's confusing words, he felt a bit restless in his heart and urgently wanted to talk to someone. Moreover, what was the situation with his sister this time? He hadn't asked her yet!

  Xie Fu understood Yao Cun Jia's meaning and also smiled: "Of course, you should tell your sister about this trip to reassure her! Jia Er, you're pregnant, lean back and rest!"

  "That's good!" Yao Cunhui smiled and replied, and together with Xie Fuyun, they helped Yao Cunjia lean back on the imperial couch. Xie Fuyun sat at the edge of the couch, while Yao Cunhui moved a embroidered stool to sit opposite them, and the three began talking.

  Yao Cunhui then went on to tell the story in detail, talking about his experiences traveling by sea, and the hustle and bustle of the South Seas islands. He only briefly mentioned the matter of signing a contract for their family business, simply letting Yao Cunjia know that it had been taken care of.

  Yao Cun Jia felt relieved, but he became more attentive to her journey at sea and asked a few more questions:

  "Is the wind and waves so fierce on the sea?"

  "Yes, one evening a strong wind blew up, waves crashed against the ship as high as over 10 meters, except for the helmsmen and the captain, all of us were hiding in the cabin and not allowed to go out! Many people vomited until they were dizzy, but I was fine!"

  "Are there really fish in the sea that are so big they can eat people?"

  "Sharks are called sea wolves, they look quite fierce, but standing on the boat, it's okay! And there are dolphins too, with their pointed mouths and blue bodies, making very strange calls, so cute!" Yao Cunhui said with sparkling eyes.

  "How dangerous it is!" Yao Cun Jia emphasized this sentence, staring at Yao Cun Hui and said: "Originally sailing on the sea is so dangerous, Hui'er, from now on you are not allowed to go again!" As he spoke, he also scolded Fu Yun: "You must have known about it, right? You didn't even tell me! If something happens to Hui'er..."

  What should she do on the vast and endless ocean?

  "I, I'm not afraid of you worrying about me!" Xie Fu Yun forced a smile, but in his heart, he was also secretly feeling a bit guilty and regretful. Yes, if Er Mei really didn't come back this time, Jia Er would probably have a knot in her heart for the rest of her life.

  "Sister, don't blame your brother-in-law, and don't blame me either. So many people go out to sea and travel far, aren't they all fine? This is what's meant by 'riding the wind and waves, sometimes you'll have a clear sail across the blue ocean'. You can't appreciate its beauty unless you experience it for yourself! Sister, if we have the chance in the future, let's go together, with your brother-in-law too. At that time, you'll understand, it's actually not scary at all!" Yao Cunhui said with a smile.

  "Right, right!" Xie Fu Yun also smiled and said: "Speaking of which, although I've been to Shanghai Pudong Port, I only took a glimpse of the sea from afar on the dock, but I've never gone out to sea. Jia Er, let's go together after a few years! How about it?" Second sister has this kind of courage and vision, what is there for him, a man, to be afraid of?

  "We're still sailing across the Bohai Sea!" Yao Cun Jia glared at her and scolded Xie Fu Yun, "You're also teasing her along with them!"